Even If It Scares You…
In the midst of mid-20s crisis, somebody asked me, “Have you found your freedom?”
Was I working towards gaining some ‘freedom’? Had I been chained and quietened earlier? Well, no. And so, I went on —
“To be able to choose your happiness — that, my, friend, is ‘freedom’ in real sense. And if years of hard work and education haven’t granted you ‘this’ freedom, then, I think, you need to revise your lessons.
No. Seriously. There must have been a spark inside of you that made you journey this far. Don’t you think it’s your ‘calling’ — to do what feels right, and not what you think is right? Chalking out in your head some foolproof plan to please your boss, get a promotion and glorify your image in the eyes of your loved ones might seem like the most tempting one, full of promises. But hey, is that the road to the happiness you were seeking? Would you really feel ‘liberated’ once you achieved it? Or would you feel burdened to live up to the image you formulated for yourself? Can you see your ‘happiness’ disappearing into some spurious mirage, leading you into a desert of disillusionment?
Listen girl, if secret of happiness is freedom, then secret of freedom is ‘courage’. The courage that I’m talking about is the courage to break away from the set requisites of a ‘guaranteed success’! The courage to digest an occasional jibe. The courage to feel your heartbeat amidst the noise. The courage to be able to walk the trail without a trail. The courage to choose not to fit in if that means to stand up for your happiness. Remember your end point — ‘happiness’. You didn’t come this far to not be happy and be everything else, did you?
This courage can manifest itself in any form. Choose flats over heels at a cocktail party. Embrace your awkward gait. Undone eyebrows are okay. Finish reading that book at a public place, while you are in a queue, if it’s kept you hooked. Chase the sunset if you want to. Go kiss the mountains if your heart tells you to. Look someone in the eye while they’re trying to lie to you. Tell someone how you feel about them, without sweating your palms.
Trust me, it is the courage to listen to the song in your heart that is going to unchain you every single day. Don’t just go through the motions. Live for the happiness you think you deserve. And girl, you work hard and so you deserve!”
